


A Trade Balance

by chase_acow



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fandom Stocking 2013, First Meetings, always female kili
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 12:50:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1120019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chase_acow/pseuds/chase_acow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kili meets a pair of strange dwarfs while she's out hunting one day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Trade Balance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Iavalir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iavalir/gifts).



> I have no idea what I'm doing, but I hope it doesn't show too much. For iavalir on the occation of fandom_stocking 2013-2014. I hope you like it!

_"No, now stop that right now!"_

Kili winced as the rabbit she'd aimed for startled and disappeared into the bushes. Dwalin had banished her from weapon's practice after the second time her heckling distracted Fili into swatting the younger dwarf he was supposed to be teaching. None of the younger set had the brains to be interested in archery past the bare necessities so she was at loose ends for today's session. A day out in the sun had curbed the worst of her restlessness, but otherwise had been a failure.

She thought the rabbits had probably all convened and wisely elected not to be dinner tonight.

_"You can't put that in your mouth, let go!"_

Intrigued, Kili slipped down from the small tree she'd perched in and followed the yelling out into a clear bit of field. The shambles of a trapping outing littered across a small track of grass, and two dwarfs were playing a game of tug-of-war. She hadn't seen them before, and she'd have remembered. The taller had an axe bit embedded in his forehead while the other had chosen a dull yellow cloak and had the funniest hat that cocked forward to hide his eyes. It appeared they were fighting over a runty bunny.

Kili slunk around to get a better angle on the goings-on, but she probably could have tap danced with a full set of bells and whistles and not been noticed.

"It's raw, Bifur, and 'sides, we're to bring these back for Bombur's pot."

The smaller dwarf finally won possession of the meat and stowed it quickly in his side bag. Bifur, with the axe, glared and his eye stared twitching making Kili wince in sympathy. Whatever had happened, she figured she could easily spare something if it meant she could get on with her hunting. She'd wanted to take back some birds for Fili too.

"I brought out some jerky with me," Kili said, stepping out into the meadow. She knew she wouldn't look like a threat, not wearing her father's old hunting leathers that her mother kept threatening to throw out. "I'll share if you promise to keep it down and not announce our presence to all the game on the mountain."

Bifur backed up as she approached, and shuffled closer to the other, but when she offered her pouch, he took it and gleefully started chomping through her stash. His hair was threading through gray, and already his braids had a pleasant pattern. The wound in his forehead had scarred over healed, and she wondered if he was another casualty of the war for Moria. 

"Ah, thank you lass. I forgot to pack anything to nibble on."

"That's okay, I. . ." Kili let the sentence drift away, the other dwarf had managed to push his hat back and straighten his clothes. He had the kindest eyes she'd ever seen, though that might not be saying much considering the small circle of nobility she was forced to dance in. Something about him made her feel instantly good.

"I'm Bofur, by the way," the dwarf introduced himself, sweeping his hat off and bowing low. He grinned at her and finished with a cheeky wink. "It's not often a youngling such as yourself is kind to Bifur. His appearance tends to put them off."

"I'm not so young," Kili defended herself, even as she could feel the blush cover her cheeks from his attention. He wore his hair in two great plaits that bent out from his neck and fell down over his shoulders. He apparently preferred a long mustache to a braided and bedecked beard, but it fit him in the ways a more traditional grooming would not. "And I try not to judge others based on their appearance."

She was on the receiving end of being judged quite enough. She'd heard others call her everything from too skinny, to too tall, and perversely interested in archery when they thought she couldn't her them. It didn't make her any of those things, and she refused to feel ashamed of who she was or where she didn't fit in.

"NIcely put," Bofur said, dropping the hat back on his head. "I think I have something I might be able to trade in return for your kindness."

He rummaged through his pockets, and Kili couldn't help drifting closer. She would lay odds that the two dwarfs were related, and worked in the mines. Their clothes were covered with a fine stone powder where they had not obviously been brushed off. She wondered what he would produce. 

"Ah, here it is!" Bofur brandished the item in the air and then held it out to her on a dirty palm. "My cousin, Bifur, and I like to tinker with toys when we have the chance. This is our latest attempt."

Instead of taking the carving, Kili cupped her hands under Bofur's large one and drew it up so she could see it better. A tiny bird, perfectly carved, laid flat with it's wings spread wide. It was carved in a dark wood, that colored to black at the tips of the wings and beak. She picked it up, and held her breath while she traced her fingers over the finely cut facets. It was a lovely bird, but was weighted strangely. She finally found where they had cleverly camouflaged hidden bits of metal in the wings.

"Bifur's been taken with eagles recently," Bofur explained after clearing his throat. He took the bird back and somehow balanced it by placing the beak on the end of his index finger. the bird wobbled for a moment and then it balanced out without anymore support. "It's a bit of a trick to load up the ends, but this one was a success."

She took the bird back, sure it was some kind of a trick, but the bird balanced just as well on her finger as it did on Bofur's. She couldn't wait to show it to Fili, but then again, it was clearly worth more than just a bit of jerky. They probably needed the income. With one last pat, she tried to hand it back. "It's so clever, but I couldn't take it," she said.

Bofur frowned at her and didn't move to take the toy back. "Why ever not? Don't you like it?" he asked. He seemed genuinely upset that she tried to give it back.

"Yes, of course, it's beautiful, but-" 

Bifur had come back close to them and gently closed her hands over the bird and pushed it back toward her chest. He curled his lips apart in an attempt at a smile while he tapped his closed hands and then tapped her chest.

"There then, it's settled," Bofur smiled, showing his teeth and bumped her with his shoulder. "Don't argue with Bifur when he sets his mind to something. Now, I didn't get your name, lass. If we're to be friends, I'll need to know what to call you."

"Kili," she said, wincing when Bofur took on a gobsmacked expression. She started backing away, used to the reaction that she garnered when she admitted to being one of Durin's folk and close to Thorin. "Maybe I should go."

"Nonsense!" Bofur shook off his shock quicker than many and held out his arm for her to take if she wished. "I'll show you the sweetest spot for quail hunting I've found yet. And then I'll feed you at the best tavern in town and introduce you to my brother, Bombur."

Kili hesitated before taking Bofur's arm, thinking and then quickly dismissing what her mother would think. She was her own dwarf after all. "I'd like that very much," she said, falling into step with the cousins. She hoped they would assume the red on her cheeks was a sunburn. She couldn't wait to tell Fili all about her afternoon.


End file.
